During the production of oil and gas, undesirable production of sand, proppants, formation fines and other contaminates may be produced with the oil and gas from the reservoir or from the proppant beds placed during the fracturing applications. The sand, proppants and formation fines may cause problems such as reduced production, plugged pathways, abrasion of production equipment, additional handling cost and refinery problems.
Several methods have been proposed and described in the prior art to help overcome this problem. These include, but are not limited to, controlling the migration and flowback of unconsolidated particles by gravel packing. Another method uses single layer or multiple layers of screens that filters out the particles before they are produced with the oil and gas. Another method is to treat the unconsolidated material with a consolidating agent that stabilizes the particles within the reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,026 discloses a method of treating a subterranean formation comprising a solvent-based treatment fluid with the reaction product of a multifunctional electrophilic compound containing at least two electrophilic reactive groups and at least one nucleophilic compound. U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,026 discloses gravel packing and also points out that the gravel pack may migrate along with producing fluids, thus contributing to the problem.
U.S. 2003/0230431 discloses the use of a drilling fluid comprised of water, a polymeric cationic catalyst which is adsorbed on weak zones or formations formed by unconsolidated clays, shale, sand stone and the like, a water soluble or dispersible polymer which is cross-linked by a thermoset resin and causes the resin to be hard and tough when cured, a particulate curable solid thermoset resin, a catalyst for curing the solid and water soluble resins. This disclosure employs the use of solid particles in the injection fluid and takes advantage of the effect of heat from the subterranean reservoir to melt the particulate resin and be cured.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,140 discloses a method of consolidating incompetent subterranean formation surrounding a well wherein a liquid resin diluted with a two-part diluent is injected into the formation and is followed by an over flush liquid to extract the diluent but leave the resin on the sand grains. The two-part diluent comprises a first component miscible with the resin and a second component immiscible with the resin but miscible with the first component and the over flush liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,567,511 discloses a method of introducing a treatment fluid comprising a solvent-based fluid and a consolidation composition into a wellbore in a subterranean formation, the consolidation comprising, a crosslinking diverting agent, a hardening agent, and a multifunctional epoxy resin, the multifunctional epoxy resin comprising at least three epoxy groups; coating a face of the subterranean formation with the consolidation composition; and at least partially curing the consolidation composition in the wellbore, to reduce production of unconsolidated particulates from the subterranean formation into the wellbore.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,975,764 discloses a sand consolidation system and a method for use of the system. The consolidation system includes an emulsion having an oil phase and an aqueous phase, wherein the emulsion contains a source of insoluble silica particles and a source of calcium hydroxide, wherein the calcium hydroxide particles are present in the oil phase, and the insoluble silica particles are contained in the aqueous phase. Both types of particles must have average particle sizes which will fit into the pores of the formations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,773 discloses improved hardenable resin compositions, and methods of consolidating particulate solids in subterranean zones penetrated by well bores. The resin compositions of this invention are basically comprised of a hardenable organic resin, an aminosilane resin-to-particulate solid coupling agent, a viscous carrier fluid breaker for breaking separating films of viscous carrier fluid between resin coated particulate solids and a surface active agent for causing the resin composition to flow to the contact points between the resin coated particulate solids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,460 discloses a method for water compatible chemical in situ consolidation with oil soluble furan resin. The placement of the fluid is by phase separation rather than by conventional fluid displacement. The method uses the injection of resin/water miscible organic solvent solution followed by a spacer volume of water and acid catalyst injection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,781 discloses using resin coated particles in a remote location, such as a subterranean reservoir or a sand or gravel pack, by contacting them with a cationic aqueous emulsion which contains a resin-forming mixture of poly epoxide and a relatively water-soluble tertiary-amine that is capable of both catalyzing the polymerization of the poly epoxide and oil-wetting of solid surfaces.